Past Perfect: Reloaded
by Oberon
Summary: All's well that ends well after Not Fading Away. Everyone's moved on with their lives, most of all is Dawn. However, on the happest day of her life a fugitive comes to visit.


Something got choped up in the first post. This is an unauthorized continuation of miss H's (HonorH)story Past Perfect. I thought it had a great setup that just didn't deliver in the end. I thought she had enoughroom to add a few more plot twists in the end. Thankfully I'm not short on those myself. So I came up with this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the original plot.

Epilogue Part 2 (AKA Past Perfect: Reloaded)

"Come on Dawn, one more push."

"You're almost there baby, just a little longer." Connor held his wife reassuringly but the look on Dawn's face promised pain and death… for him.

The younger Summers let out a feral scream. "Arrrr! WHY DON'T YOU TRY IT!" she bellowed out between breathes.

"Just one more," the nurse beside Dawn coached on.

There was blood and Dawn could feel herself almost pass out from the pain. "He's so dead. It's all his fault," she thought between the haze of fatigue and pain. But that was all forgotten as she heard the first cries of her child.

The doctor allowed the giddy father to bring the baby for Dawn to have a closer look.

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

/"------!------------"/

Dawn was positively glowing when she was wheeled out of the operating room.

"Ohhh, Ohhh, let me see." Andrew rushed to the forefront.

"Back off," Buffy stood in Andrew's way and stared him

down. "Besides, I get to see first." Looking down at his little sister Buffy couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"She looks so happy," Buffy tried to picture herself in her sister's place but for some reason she couldn't quite see herself doing it. She smiled warmly at the little bundle in her sister's arms.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"Joyce," Connor answered from his wife's side. "We decided to call her Joyce."

Just hearing that name brought Buffy to tears. Memories both of pain and joy swarmed her mind. "I like it. It suits her."

Dawn gave her sister a knowing smile.

"Hay wanna come look?" Connor called out to the dark clad figure in the corner.

Buffy whirled around and stared into those eyes that she loved so long ago and still love. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my grandchild. It's not every day a vampire gets to see his first grandchild being born."

"Right, stupid question. And here I thought Angel couldn't' possibly be stupid enough to step into the trap that the Senior Partners are so obviously setting for him. Dumb Buffy, dumb."

"Don't worry, I have them chasing Spike…."

Just then the elevator arrived on their floor and an urgent

Faith rushed to them.

"B, we got to go. Willow's getting some nasty vibes coming down." She came to a sudden stop beside Angle.

"Oh, I guess they're coming for you. And here I thought pretty boy couldn't…."

"Hay," Angel interrupted her. "I resent that. I'm not just a pretty face. I have you know I beat the Senior Partners many times."

"Whatever,"

Now, the Senior Partners have always had a thing for the theatrics. To maximize dramatic effect they gave Faith just enough time to deliver her warning before they started to shake things up. Really shake things up; literally.

"Get everyone out of here," Buffy took Dawn in a fireman's hold and started to make for the emergency

stairs. She kicked the stairway doors off its hinges with a loud bang. "Come on, this way."

"Buffy!" Dawn gave out a girly squeal from her sister's back.

"Don't worry Dawnie, Connor's got Joyce. I promise nothing's going to happen to her."

Then they were out the hospital doors, with Angel right behind and Faith leading the rest of the staff out.

"Where's Connor?" Dawn looked around frantically as she searched the faces of the people that ran by her.

The answer to her desperate question crashed through the glass hospital doors and came to a loud stop when he slammed into the receptionist desk. Connor was a heap. "Ouch,"

Dawn quickly made her way to her husband's side but the elder Summers' attention was focus on the direction Connor had came from.

The streets were strangely abandoned - which was strange since there was just a fleeing mob of doctors and nurses moments before. Above the hospital, dark clouds swirled and gathered. The streets lights blinked and from every which direction a thick fog rolled in to their location.

"Looks like it's going to be a replay of LA" Angel muttered as he took up position along Buffy. "And here's me without my good sword."

"Well, thankfully I figured somebody would try something so I had Willow set something up." Buffy flipped out her cell phone. "Alright, Wils. Go,"

A nearby manhole cover popped open. Mikey climbed out, followed by Willow and a few other younger slayers.

"Hay Angel," Willow called out casually. "Didn't think you'll be here,"

One of the Slayers passed Angel a long broadsword which they been haling around.

"Don't even start,"

"O.. K….," Willow shied away. "Mister Grouchy Pants."

"Here, Buffy, I think he misses you."

"Thanks, Wils." The elder Slayer took the Sylph and hugged it tightly. "Oh how I missed you Mr. Pointy-n-sharp."

Angel rolled his eye. "Are we ready?"

Faith came up from behind them to take a nice axe. "You know me. I'm always itching for a fight."

"Ready to kick some demon ass," one of the younger slayers said.

From the fog emerged a single form. The figured had a human shape at first but as he came out of the thick fog he was anything but. He had the body of a Greek God and a face to match.

"Well, Angel looks like we got you at last." said the man. He flashed a winning smile which earned him a round of whistles from the younger slayers.

Not even Willow was immune as she entertained thoughts of doing some very kinky… eh she meant killing. Yes, killing, and death and dying some more - preferably six to eight times in one night. Willow shuttered violently.

"Vahgan," Angel said darkly. He knew this thing all too well.

"Yum, what a hottie. Do we have to kill him? Now? Cause I was thinking me and him could go a few rounds first."

Faith said in her usually vulgar way.

Angel ignored her. "Vahgan's a shape shifter so you might find him coming after you with an extra arm or two. He's tough but it's seven against one. We can take him."

Another figure followed Vahgan out of the fog - this one definitely not human.

"Ok, seven against two. Odds still good."

Then another and another followed by a legion of the creatures came out of the fog.

"Or not…,"

"I think I found something that belongs to you," Vahgan's smile was sinister.

"Joyce!" Buffy called out in a panic.

"That's right," Vahgan held out the little bundle in his hand to show them the baby. "Now we can do this the easy way or the…" In a flash of light Joyce disappeared from his hands only to reappear in Willow's waiting arms.

"Oh, the witch, I forgot. Wait, no I didn't." It happened too fast. Buffy tried to shout a warning to Willow to put a protection spell, to do something, anything.

But it was too late. The bundle in Willow's hands exploded, sending the red witch to skit to a stop on the empty streets.

At that moment Buffy wanted nothing more than to rip that man apart; one painful piece at a time. But Angel held her back, he realized rushing Vahgan and he's horde will only get every last one of them killed. Better to let Vahgan have what he wants so at least some of them can live through the night.

"Don't be mad now," Vahgan talked down to her as if she was a pre-school girl that just had a toy taken away by a bully. "Your witchy friend is fine, and as for the brat."

He held out another bundle, this one started to cry and thrash as she was held out. "That was fake."

"Lets get down to business,"

/"------!------------"/

Ever so painfully Connor picked himself off the ruins of the receptionist desk. "Wow, that guy was buff."

Dawn was seriously concerned for the father of her child. She knew Connor was tough but so was Buffy. "Are you ok, Hon?" She didn't think Connor was going to come back two times like her sister. Her alarm was raised to new heights as Connor staggered off to meet up with the main group.

"What are you doing!" she cried out in alarm. He was far too hurt to fight now. He could barely stand.

"I'm going to get our daughter back,"

/"------!------------"/

"Sign here,"

"Do I even want to know what I'm signing?" Angel asked sarcastically.

"Well, Boss." The blonde secretary vampire began to explain. "This one over here says you give up all rights as the head of Wolfram & Hart." She pointed to another

"This one says you give up all power and responsibilities as the only remaining member of the Circle of the Black Thorne." At last she point to the last line on the last contract. "And over here it says you give up your free will to the Senior Partners."

"That's right Angel," Vahgan added. "The Senior Partners wants you to play your part even if they have to string you up like a puppet."

Angel signed the first two without hesitation.

"Let me guess, you couldn't find a better dental plan anywhere else?"

Harmony shrugged. "What can I say, dentists are expensive." She pointed to the last contract. "Oh boss, you forgot one."

Angel looked into Buffy's eyes. He hoped against hope that she would suddenly cry out for him to stop, that they would fight, that they would win and get Joyce back. The look of conflict on her face said it all. But Angel knew what he had to do and even when she would call out to him, he wouldn't stop. Besides it was his fault that everyone's in this mess anyway.

"Done," Vahgan intoned.

Angel gave a last thoughtful look into the eyes of his soul mate as she stared back into his.

"Don't cry," he wanted to say. Tried as he might he couldn't force the words out. He wanted to hold her and reassure her that everything was going to be alright. But he couldn't. His body was not his anymore.

/"------!------------"/

Connor struggled to reach the roof a nearby building. With one broken arm and three broken ribs he was not making good progress. He had heard the exchange between Angel and Vahgan while he snuck up the building. He was too late to save Angel but he also knew it was not over and his daughter was still very much in danger.

"Now, just as insurance that you wouldn't do something stupid - like trying to rescue our friend here. I'm taking this little girl with me. Don't worry though. I'm sure she'll receive the best of care under the Senior Partners."

The sky above them swirled into a whirlpool of darkness.

Connor was sure something else was going on but he didn't have time to think, he didn't need to. He was in position and he jumped.

"Bastard!" he heard Buffy scream. Connor came to an inexplicable stop in mid fall and felt something pinned him to the walls of the building.

"Oh, My God! Connor!" the scream of his wife and he looked down. He was impaled by a monstrously expended arm from Vahgan. He had failed. Connor tried to tell his wife to stay back but all that came out was a gurgle of blood.

Dawn charged toward the army of the Senior Partners. She didn't care that she didn't have the power of a slayer. She didn't care she was going to die. She wanted bloody revenue. The weakness from the birth of Joyce completely forgotten as the rush of adrenaline and pure hatred drove her forward.

/"------!------------"/

But Dawn was not the first Summers women to charge into this army. Buffy Summers and her slayers was way ahead of her.

/"------!------------"/

A drop of blood, coughed up by the last breathes of Connor, made its way to the crying Joyce. An inaudible splat drowned out by the roar of the demons and slayers. Still held by the demon Vahgan, her icy blue eyes snapped open.

The child's brilliant eyes looked into the world for the first time, in a long time. Those eyes, too bight and too blue to be that of mortals, bathed the world with its radiance. She let out a cry.

/"------!------------"/

For Buffy it was almost as if time had came to a complete stop. The next second she and everyone else, both slayer of demon, was knocked off their feet by a scream that pierced the night.

When Buffy looked up again Joyce was hovering in the air being protected by a blue light that enveloped her. Evil, she can feel immense undiluted evil radiating from the baby.

It called out to her, to the slayer inside. "Singing?" someone was singing in the distance. It was not a beautiful song; it was not about love or joy. It was a song terrible and primal that spoke of glory and death.

"The moron's going to get himself killed," grumbled the nearby Faith.

"The Sylph," Buffy realized at once the song was coming from the Sylph. It was reacting to Joyce too.

The skies darken and the gathering clouds became a tornado of darkness. Faster and faster it span, its eye was coming down to meet the glowing child. Finally it made contact, and send a powerful gust of wind ever which way and swept the streets clean of the fog that lingered.

And when it was over a giant mass of tentacles hung in the night sky; large and imposing, it blocked out the moon and the stars.

"Illyria," Vahgain stared up at it - transfixed by the sight of the god-king fully restored. He realized one thing, Illyria was not moving. "Slayer, hear me out. If we work together we can take it out before it…"

Sling

A whistle of the wind was all that it took to silence Vahgan for good.

Buffy held the sylph at the end of its arch. "Just die,"

She stared down the legion of demons that was just now getting back on their feet. "You want some of this too?" she challenged them.

The demons looked at the night sky. For a minute the screams of a hundred thousand demons shattered windows and mirrors. Then they ran. They trampled over each other killed each other to get ahead and some literally slew themselves because they were trapped by the fleeing army.

"I guess you scared them off," Faith came up from behind.

Buffy pointed to the sky, to Illyria.

"Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but what is it?"

"I think that's Dawn's daughter, or mother. I'm not really sure."

The other slayer stared at it for another second.

"They sure grow up fast."

"It's the beef," Willow added. She was a bit charred and her hair was smoldering but she looking otherwise alive, at least enough to make a zinger. "What are we going to do with it Buffy? We can't just leave it here and-and I'm not sure I can do anything to it. I'm big with the mojo and all but this thing just way too powerful. Besides I'm not sure if Dawnie will like me very much if I hurt it – which may not necessary be a good thing 'cause it could wake up and make with the firry hell thing…"

/"------!------------"/

And so Chicago became the only city where the demons slew themselves.

Illyria stayed up in the sky like a floating monument. Still after that night everyone had their own opinion of how to deal with her ex-majesty.

Faith wanted to find her a home in a nice demon dimension but Dawn nixed that idea.

The great and wise Andrew Wells had a much better idea - one that will make money and hid the floating goddess. They could paint a large Bud Weiser sign on the floating Illyria and pass her off as a giant hot air balloon. Which wasreally ashame.

"Andrew, WE AREN'T NOW AND EVER GOING TO TURN MY DAUGHTER INTO A GIANT GOODYEAR BLIMP!"

Finally, Willow made with the magic and put a concealment spell on Illyria and that was the end of that problem. For now.

As for Connor, well they managed to find him a nice demon heart after all the mess. Of course life with a thing like that in his chest is not without minor side effects.

"Andrew, shut up."

But that's another story.

The END

Turn on the evil laughter! Bwuahahahahahaha !

I bet that'll get the plot bunnies going on there lusty rampage.


End file.
